EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
Post Doc Position
Preclinical Studies of GABAergic control on Stress Regulation
Position Summary:
Depression is a leading cause of disabilities worldwide, causing mood, anxiety, and memory symptoms. Chronic stress plays a major role in the emergence of the disease. With the challenges that the world faced recently, stress has become part of our daily life, and the prevalence of depression is already spiking. Drugs targeting the GABAergic system in the brain have been used to mitigate stress in depressed patients, but exert drastic side-effects.
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Canada’s largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital, is leading the path to investigate the underlying mechanisms of stress regulation in order to identify new targets for the development of future therapeutics. Dr. Thomas Prevot, Scientist in the Neurobiology of Depression and Aging Program of the Campbell Institute at CAMH, and lead scientist on a drug development program at CAMH, is the Principal Investigator on a preclinical project focusing on understanding the underlying mechanisms of stress regulation, characterizing which GABA receptor subunits contribute to the regulation of stress hormone release, using targeted genetic manipulation and pharmacological approaches. This project will also investigate which brain regions and cell types contribute to such regulations, and how chronic stress affects GABAARs at the brain region and cell levels in male and female mice.
The program is currently seeking an outstanding post-doctoral fellow to characterize neurobehavioral and physiological changes in an animal model of chronic stress, perform behavioral testing and quantitative analyses of biological markers in mouse brain tissue, and manage transgenic mouse colony.
The ideal candidate will have a PhD in Neuroscience, Neuropharmacology or a related discipline, with demonstrated expertise in behavioral testing related to mood and cognition in rodent models, ideally mouse models. Experience with methods related to pharmacology, sampling, molecular biology, immunohistochemistry and imaging is preferred.
The successful applicant will be expected to work independently, but in close association with other scientists in the Neurobiology of Depression and Aging group, within CAMH and outside of CAMH. The applicant will demonstrate a commitment to conducting and fostering research and enthusiasm regarding participating in multidisciplinary research and training activities. The applicant will also be required to help train junior graduate students and technicians as part of the training and leadership objectives of the department.
The candidate will support a healthy workplace that embraces diversity, encourages teamwork and complies with all applicable regulatory and legislative requirements. This position is located at 250 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Qualifications:
The successful candidate should have a PhD in Neuroscience, Neuropharmacology or a related discipline with expertise in mood disorders. The candidate should have significant experience working with rodent models, with knowledge in cognitive processes and stress physiology, experience with behavioral, anatomical, histological and molecular biology techniques of rodent models.
The successful candidate will have a track record that demonstrates competence in publishing in high impact peer reviewed journals, disseminating research at formal scientific meetings, writing grant proposals and participation in the education of students and trainees. The ability to interact with populations of diverse ethnoracial and cultural backgrounds is also required. Bilingualism (English/French) or proficiency in a second language is considered an asset.
Please note: This full-time position is NOT part of any bargaining unit.
Salary Range: Competitive Salary
Application: Send your application with your CV to: Thomas.Prevot@camh.ca
CAMH is a Tobacco-Free Organization.
CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto and is a teaching hospital and research institute. As a CAMH employee you will be expected to actively support CAMH’s teaching and research activities, in addition to supporting the clinical work of the hospital.
As an employment equity employer CAMH actively seeks Aboriginal peoples, visible minorities,
women, people with disabilities, (including people who have experienced mental health and
substance use challenges), and additional diverse identities for our workforce.
We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
If contacted for an interview, please inform us should accommodation be required.
All applicants are welcome to apply, however preference will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada.